School of Arts and Sciences

Biology

Mission Statement

The mission of the department is to provide students in our Geosciences and Environmental Science programs the experiences necessary for them to understand their role as scientists and intelligent caretakers of our planet and its resources. Our department is dedicated to the LaSallian tradition of excellence in teaching, and service to society. The beauty of nature that we often experience on our field trips, and the lessons learned in lecture and lab help students understand that their roles as stewards of our planet is a life-long enterprise, and is critical to future generations. Our mission includes understanding the concept of sustainability and the needs of future generations. We are committed to developing the full intellectual, personal, and social potential of our students in an environment of mutual respect and cooperation. Our programs strive to promote our tradition of stewardship of Planet Earth. A major goal of all our programs in the department (geology and environmental science) is to remind students of their responsibility to maintain our planet, and to understand their obligation to manage resources for future generations.

Our programs are designed to place graduates into positions in industry, energy and environmental, governmental and private, as well as in graduate programs (science or policy/management), and service institutions and agencies (Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, etc). Students (have been) and will be qualified to work in fields such as oil, gas and coal, alternative energy, environmental management, resource management, land-use planning, environmental policy, and environmental law (upon completion of law school). Our Geology and Environmental Science programs can also serve as pre-teaching programs preparing students for certification in education programs. We also understand the need to enhance critical thinking skills and have designed the geology and environmental science curricula to meet this challenge by requiring an eclectic array of courses from many non-science related departments.